


The Weight

by nagi_schwarz



Series: The Oppenheimer Effect [41]
Category: Clan Mitchell - Fandom, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, TW: Homophobia, tw: child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 07:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7161458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Stargate Multiverse, Cameron Mitchell/Evan Lorne/JD, family coming to terms with their child's polyamorous relationship."</p><p>Cam watches family go wrong and family go right again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Weight

John, JD, Evan, and even Rodney had sounded terribly sympathetic, that Cam was roped into supervising after school truancy detention last-minute on the eve of Tyler's adoption, but the truth was, Cam had volunteered. He'd thought he'd be able to cope with the influx of relatives. He was wrong. 

Cousin Sookie was the first of Evan's family to arrive, and just this morning the rest of his family had come pouring in (and a good chunk of them really did call him Bluebell, though they'd been given explicit instructions not to do so at court). Evan's mother and sister looked just like him, same dark hair and blue eyes and dimples, and his little niece and nephew had grand plans to take a look at Tyler's official adoption outfit and see about coordinating their outfits to match his. And then a bunch of the other cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and assorted relatives had joined in, and all of the men had been glad to avoid the massive shopping spree.

According to Rodney's most recent text message, his sister and her family were in town and had stopped off at their hotel to drop off their luggage before they came to the house and joined in on the giant cooking spree (they were going to be eating gourmet food for days afterward, Cam was sure). A good number of Evan's relatives approved of Kaleb Miller's vegetarianism, and Rodney reported, rather grudgingly, that some of their tofu dishes actually tasted good.

Cam didn't begrudge the others their relatives and friends coming to be supportive of Tyler's big day, not at all. He wanted Tyler to know just how big his new family was. Cam just hadn't expected how much it would hurt, seeing everyone else's family but not his own. JD, Evan, John, Rodney, and Tyler were his new family, but Cam had always been proud of being a Mitchell, glad to be a Mitchell. When he'd been on active duty, he'd brought more than one friend back to his home on holiday libo because they had nowhere else to go, and he'd been proud of his family's warmth and acceptance and generosity.

And now he was alone, on the outside looking in, and he wondered if any of his friends, standing on the edges of his crowded living room for Thanksgiving or Christmas, had felt like this.

Isolated.

Cold.

Cam wasn't the only person in the classroom watching the clock closely; all of the students were too, because there were only two minutes of detention left, and they were itching to go. Cam was dreading going home. He hadn't dreaded going home like this ever, and for one moment he was furious at his father for being so damn close-minded, because JD was anything but a child, and -

"Hey, Cammie?" Tina raised her hand.

Cam turned to her. "Yes?" 

Tina glanced at Sasha, who reached into her backpack and produced yet another giant cupcake.

Cam's stomach roiled at the memory.

"We made this," Sasha said, "for Tyler's big day."

Neither of their parents had agreed to let them skip school to go to court for the hearing, but they were invited to the party afterward.

Tina added, "We talked to Lorne, and he told us what to do to make sure it cooked all the way through this time."

Cam raised his eyebrows. "Oh - oh! Thank you."

Sasha crossed the classroom and laid the cupcake on his desk. In the back corner, Damien was sullen and silent.

"Lorne said our last cupcake made you sick," Sasha said in a low voice. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Dammit, Evan. Cam winced. "I - well - truth is, I'd eat that cupcake again in a heartbeat, and I will be eternally grateful for it."

Sasha's expression turned wary. "Really?"

Cam's memories of that day were hazy, but he still remembered Evan curled in bed beside him, watching over him, JD fetching and carrying and worrying over him. It was the first day he'd dared to hope for more than just friendship.

"Really," Cam said, and Sasha must have sensed the sincerity in his voice, because she brightened, pushed the cupcake across the desk to him, and ran back to her seat.

Just in time for the bell to ring.

Sasha scooped up her backpack, grabbed Tina's hand, and together they scampered for the door, heads bent close as they made afternoon plans. They hung back long enough for everyone else to get out first - and partially to avoid Damien, who’d made it to the door first - before they went to exit the classroom.

They came up short at the sight of a massive red-haired man who was blocking the doorway. A smaller mousy-haired woman stood beside him. Even though Cam had never met them before, he recognized them immediately. Sasha's parents. She was the spitting image of her mother, neon pink hair aside.

Her father's expression turned ugly. 

"I knew it, you bitch," he snarled.

Sasha shrank back, eyes wide.

"I knew you were a dyke, but to see it." The man shook his head. "Come home this instant. We're calling Father Fabrizio."

Tina stepped back, tugged Sasha with her. "No."

"Get away from my daughter, whore," Sasha's father spat.

Tina gripped Sasha's hand more tightly and shook her head.

Sasha's father grabbed Sasha by the arm and wrenched her toward the door. Sasha cried out in pain, and Tina stumbled with her.

Cam said, "Sir, take your hand off her right now."

Sasha's father sneered at him. "I know who you are. You're her fag teacher. Cammie, right? You getting your rocks off, watching my daughter and her friend being whores?"

"If I'm a fag, why would I get my rocks off over a pair of girls?" Cam asked, and he wheeled himself toward the door, but his heart was pounding, because he had good upper body strength, but he was no match for a man that size. Or any size, not anymore. "Sir, you need to leave. Sasha will be home in due course, but you cannot be here while you're behaving like this."

"This is a public school. I can do whatever the hell I want wherever the hell I want." The man tightened his grip on Sasha's arm, and she whimpered.

Cam gestured for Tina to get behind him, and she let go of Sasha reluctantly, went to stand behind his chair.

"Besides," the man continued, "are you going to stop me?"

"Yes," Cam said, and had the irrational urge to say,  _ I'll bite your kneecaps off! _

"Oh yeah? You think you can take me on, cripple?"

"If I have to, for my students," Cam said, and he curled his hands into fists.

"Really?" The man laughed. "You and what army?"

"The entire Mitchell army," Ash said, and the man and his wife spun around.

Ash, Mom, Dad, and a whole host of Mitchell cousins - most of whom were in one branch or another of the armed forces - were arrayed in the hallway like a human wall.

Sasha's father blinked. "Well now, let's not get out of hand here."

"Let's not," Ash said flatly. "Now do as my brother said and leave. Your daughter will be safe from here on out."

Sasha yanked free and ran to Tina's side, huddled behind Cam's wheelchair.

"Brother, huh?" Sasha's father looked Ash up and down, spotted Dad in his wheelchair. "I see weakness runs in the family."

"No," Ash said. "It doesn't."

Sasha's father cast a few more epithets her way, then turned and slinked out of the room, dragging his wife with him.

Cam turned to Tina and Sasha. Sasha was crying silently, clinging to Tina’s side.

“Hey now,” Cam said, “you’re safe. It’s okay. Let me call Gabriel and Principal Connors, all right?”

“Don’t make me go home.” Sasha hiccuped. “Please.”

“I can’t make you any promises about where you’re going to go, other than that you’re going to be safe. Why don’t you take a seat and let me make these calls, all right?”

Tina guided Sasha back to a desk and sat Sasha down, knelt beside her and wiped away her tears.

“Cameron,” Dad began, but Cam held up a hand to forestall comment.

“I need to make a few phone calls first, all right?”

A muscle in Dad’s jaw twitched, but he nodded.

Cam glanced up at Ash and said, “Thanks.”   


“You’re family,” Ash said stiffly.

Cam had to pause and swallow down the lump that had risen in his throat. He dialed Gabriel first, told him what had happened with Sasha, and Gabriel promised to get Kristen on the scene. Cam called Connors and reported the incident as briefly as he could, said he’d submit a written report as soon as he could.

Kristen tip-toed her way into the classroom, looking at the arrayed Clan Mitchell with wide eyes, and ushered Tina and Sasha back out of the classroom, speaking to them in soothing tones.

As soon as she was gone, Dad said, “Everyone, give us a moment.”

Ash did a smart about-face and strode out of the room, and the others - including Mom - followed him.

The door closed, and Cam was left sitting face to face with his father, tension crackling between like it hadn’t since Cam had been able to get himself into his own chair and roll through the halls at Walter Reed.

Frank Mitchell had given his legs for his country, and he’d been devastated that one of his sons had had to do the same, in the exact same way - crashing a test craft. He’d screamed at Cam till he was literally blue in the face, and Cam had only been able to bow his head beneath the onslaught and remain silent, because he hadn’t crashed a damn test craft, and he’d been the only survivor of his combat air group, and it wasn’t the same thing at all.

He had a damn Medal of Honor stashed in his sock drawer to prove it, useless piece of metal that it was. It would never let him walk again, and it sure as hell would never bring back Banks or the other men and women who’d trusted him to lead them into battle. And what he’d done would never come close to the hell JD had been through for this country and this planet and this galaxy over and over again.

Cam’s hands curled into fists all over again. “Dad -”

“I almost lost you once before,” Dad said. “I will not lose you now, not to this.”

“I love him.”

Dad pressed his lips into a thin line, and a muscle jumped in his cheek, but he said nothing.

“If you make me choose between you and him, it’ll be him. Every time.”

Dad sighed. “Cam, no. That’s not what I came here to say.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking pained. “I’ll be the first to admit I don’t understand what you’re doing with one man, let alone two, one of whom is barely older than these kids you teach, than your own new son.”

Cam gritted his teeth and shook his head, started backing away so he could turn and get his things, including the cupcake, and just leave. 

“Don’t turn away from me, boy!”

“I’m an adult, and I don’t have to sit there and listen to your ignorance and bigotry about my life,” Cam snapped.

“Then help me understand!”

Cam paused, looked back at his father.

Frank Mitchell, for the first time since Cam had first seen him in a wheelchair, looked old and tired. “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but you’re a good boy. Your mama and I raised you right. You’re a smart boy. And if this is what you want, we can learn. But you have to help us. Please.”

“Tomorrow is Tyler’s big day,” Cam said. “It’s not about me, or JD, or Evan, or John, or Rodney or anyone else. Just him. You will not ruin this for him.”

“We’ve always wanted a grandson,” Dad said softly.

“If you look at JD the way you looked at me when I told you -”

“We’re willing to try, Cam. All of us.”

Cam swallowed hard. Then said, very carefully, “Mom yelled at you, didn’t she?”   


Dad cracked a smile. It was strained around the edges, but it was a smile. “A whole lot. At first. And then she didn’t speak to me for a week. And then she called your Aunt Ericka and Ericka screamed at me.”

Frank Mitchell was a man’s man, even despite his injuries - distinguished military career, good with his hands, strong-willed, stubborn, the undisputed head of his household. But he’d always demonstrated a willingness to listen to counsel from his wife and admit when he was wrong.

In any other situation, he’d be right, if JD were any other teenager, and Cam knew that, but JD was who he was, and Cam refused to diminish that.

“I guess I don’t need to scream at you too, then,” Cam said, and he smiled, and his father’s smile became more relaxed, and then because they were Mitchells, they hugged.

The door burst open, and Mom flung herself onto them with her arms wide, and Ash joined in, and before Cam knew it, he was buried under the combined weight of the Mitchell-Griffith clan.

“Is everything all right, Mitchell?”

Many heads turned, and when Cam could finally see who’d spoken, Connors was standing in the doorway.

“Everything is fine, sir,” Cam said. “My family’s in town for Tyler’s big day.”

“Of course,” Connors said. He offered Mom, then Dad his hand. “You should be proud of your son. He’s a fine educator. The students love him.”

“We love him too,” Mom said, and Cam knew his world was all right again.


End file.
